Food & Nutrition Overview

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The
effective management of food intake and nutrition are both key to good health.
Smart nutrition and food choices can help prevent disease. Eating the right
foods can help your body cope more successfully with an ongoing illness.
Understanding good nutrition and paying attention to what you eat can help you
maintain or improve your health.

What Is Good Nutrition?

Food and
nutrition are the way that we get fuel, providing energy for our bodies. We
need to replace nutrients in our bodies with a new supply every day. Water is
an important component of nutrition. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are all required.
Maintaining key vitamins and minerals are also important to maintaining good health.
For pregnant women and adults over 50, vitamins such as vitamin D and minerals such
as calcium and iron are important to consider when choosing foods to eat, as
well as possible dietary supplements.

A healthy
diet includes a lot of natural foods. A sizeable portion of a healthy diet
should consist of fruits and vegetables, especially ones that are red, orange,
or dark green. Whole grains, such as whole wheat and brown rice, should also
play a part in your diet. For adults, dairy products should be non-fat or
low-fat. Protein can consist of lean meat and poultry, seafood, eggs, beans,
legumes, and soy products such as tofu, as well as unsalted seeds and nuts.

Good
nutrition also involves avoiding certain kinds of foods. Sodium is used heavily
in processed foods and is dangerous for people with high blood pressure. The
USDA advises adults to consume less than 300 milligrams (mg) per day of
cholesterol (found in meat and full-fat dairy products among others). Fried
food, solid fats, and trans fats found in margarine and processed foods can be
harmful to heart health. Refined grains (white flour, white rice) and refined
sugar (table sugar, high fructose corn syrup) are also bad for long-term
health, especially in people with diabetes. Alcohol can be dangerous to health
in amounts more than one serving per day for a woman and two per day for a man.

There are
many high-quality, free guidelines available for healthy eating plans that give
more details on portion size, total calorie consumption, what to eat more of,
and what to eat less of to get healthy and stay that way.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Even if you
are getting enough to eat, if you are not eating a balanced diet, you may still
be at risk for certain nutritional deficiencies. Also, you may have nutritional
deficiencies due to certain health or life conditions, such as pregnancy, or
certain medications you may be taking, such as high blood pressure medications.
People who have had intestinal diseases or had sections of intestines removed
due to disease or weight loss surgery also may be at risk for vitamin
deficiencies. Alcoholics are also at high risk of having nutritional
deficiencies.

One of the
most common nutritional deficiencies is iron deficiency anemia. Your blood
cells need iron in order to supply your body with oxygen, and if you don’t have
enough iron, your blood will not function properly. Other nutritional
deficiencies that can affect your blood cells include low levels of vitamin B12,
folate, or vitamin C.

Vitamin D
deficiency may affect the health of your bones, making it difficult for you to
absorb and use calcium (another mineral that you may not be getting enough of).
Although you can get vitamin D by going out in the sun, many people with
concerns about skin cancer may end up with low levels of vitamin D by not
getting enough sun.

Other
nutritional deficiencies include:

beriberi: low levels of vitamin B1
(found in cereal husks)

ariboflavinosis: low levels of
vitamin B2

pellagra: low levels of vitamin B3

paraesthesia: low levels of vitamin
B5 leading to a “pins and needles” feeling

biotin deficiency: low levels of
vitamin B7, which can be common in pregnancy

Eating a
balanced diet can help prevent these conditions. Vitamin supplements may be
necessary for certain people, such as pregnant or nursing mothers and people
with intestinal conditions.

Diseases and Conditions Influenced
by Nutrition

Many health
conditions are caused and/or affected by food and nutrition. Some are directly
caused by food, such as “food poisoning” or bacterial infections from
contaminated food. Some people can have severe allergies to foods like peanuts,
shellfish, or wheat (celiac disease). Gastrointestinal ailments—such as
irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and gastroesophageal reflux
disease (GERD)—are also directly affected by the consumption of food.

For other
diseases and conditions, the type or quantity of food can influence the
progress of the disease. Diabetes mellitus, for example, which results in the
inability of the body to regulate blood sugar, is drastically affected by the
types and quantities of food eaten. Carbohydrate intake has to be carefully
monitored if you suffer from diabetes, or blood sugar can rise to dangerous
levels. Other conditions affected by food and nutrition include:

certain cancers: A poor diet and
obesity are associated with increased risk of breast, colon, endometrial,
esophageal, and kidney cancers.

Your food
choices and nutritional status can influence your overall health over the
entire course of your life.

Other Considerations

For certain
diseases, choosing to eat certain foods and take certain supplements may help
you maintain your health.

Patients
undergoing cancer treatment may need a specific diet in order to maintain their
stamina. For instance, high-calorie foods may need to be consumed to maintain
energy. Getting enough calories and protein in the diet can potentially help
with long-term survival.

In any
case, what you eat can help reduce your health problems. Studies have shown
that if you suffer from gout, eating cherries regularly can reduce your chances
of a gout attack (Zhang, 2012). Garlic may be an affective
medicine against certain bacteria and fungi (Ankri et al., 1999). Honey has antimicrobial and
anti-inflammatory properties (Bogdanov et al., 2008). Consuming apples may actually reduce your risk for
colorectal cancer (Jedrychowski et al., 2009). Additionally, drinking enough
water instead of sweet soda or juice can help with weight control, appearance,
and overall resistance to disease (Popkin et al., 2010).

Bogdanov, S. et al. (2008, December).
Honey for Nutrition and Health: A Review. Journal
of the American College of Nutrition, 27(6), 677-689. Retrieved April 30,
2013 from http://www.jacn.org/content/27/6/677.full